Bangkok--18 Sep--Proton Malaysian
The Proton Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur 2009, an ATP World Tour-level tournament, will be held from 26 September to 4 October 2009. The tournament will be played at the 16,000-seat Putra Stadium at Bukit Jalil Sports Complex, with the practice courts and world-class training facilities right next door at the National Sports Council Institute Training Halls.
Organised by IMG, the world leader in sports and lifestyle marketing, and tennis, the Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur 2009 will carry total prize money of USD 947,750, whilst the main draws will be 28 in singles and 16 teams in doubles. The singles qualifying draw will be open to 32 players and will be free for the public to watch on 26 and 27 September.
This tennis tournament is one of only five ATP World Tour events to be staged in continental Asia and one of only 62 ATP World Tour tournaments that exist worldwide. Thus, it is an honour for Malaysia to host such prestige event.
Tournament Director Nick Freyer, Senior Vice President IMG and Head of Tennis, Asia, confirmed the first of many exciting names heading to the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2009: World No. 8 Fernando Verdasco of Spain who played one of the greatest matches in Australian Open history before narrowly losing to Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals this year, Beijing Olympic silver medallist World No. 10 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, World No. 11 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, the incredibly charismatic World No. 14, Gael Monfils of France, World No. 21 David Ferrer of Spain who's had a good start to the year and has enjoyed great success in Asia having won the title in Tokyo and reached the final of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, and one of Asia's highest ranked players, Japanese teenage sensation Kei Nishikori, who has already won his maiden ATP World Tour title.